His Holiness
Benedict XVI
Città del Vaticano
Prohibition of syncretism
Your Holiness,
the greatest need of this time is the reform of the Church.
In the authority of the visible Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, by virtue of obedience connected with
sanctions, prohibit false openness to paganism.
This false attitude liquidates our own identity and true mission. Without this step the true reform of the
Church is impossible.
Within about 40 years, hinduism through yoga and buddhism through so-called martial arts have
managed to penetrate into all cities of the Christian world. Who has a share in the great apostasy is mainly
the liberal theologians due to their false interpretation of the Council’s declaration Nostra aetate. Jesus is
calling even nowadays: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel!” (Mk 1:15) St. Basil writes: “And if the one
who was given a duty to instruct neglects it, one deserves a punishment of a murderer!”
Lord, give to us, and also to the paralysed Church, a true spirit of repentance!
Quotation from the Nostra aetate declaration (Vat II): “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true
and holy in these religions (hinduism, buddhism, lamaism…). She regards with sincere reverence those
ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the
ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men.” (art.1)
These two sentences are often quoted by those who are interested in internal paralysation of the Church.
This has brought about a lot of confusion among Christians, many have fallen away from the Church and
many were prevented from preaching the full Gospel for the salvation of souls.
The prophets of the Old Testament often compared idolatry to adultery. Now Christians are asking:
“What in particular is true and holy in these religions?” Regrettably to say, they are not given an answer that
would be in accordance with the Spirit of the Gospel. It is similar as if we stated: “The Catholic Church
rejects nothing that is true and holy in adultery.” Probably anybody can imagine what a moral disaster
would follow! And spiritual adultery is even more dangerous for salvation than the physical one. Paganism
is a system of idolatry, and though we can find there some true and maybe even holy elements, it still
remains to be idolatry and hence a hindrance to salvation. God put holy elements in the human nature and
these are abused by the system of paganism. So we do have to have respect e.g. for a Hindu as a human
being with conscience, good will; however, on the other hand, we cannot agree with the system of false
images and idolatric elements which darken his conscience and divert him from the true knowledge of God
(cf. Jn 17:3). (cf. Red. Missio 55) “One cannot attribute to these (religions) a divine origin... Their rituals,
insofar as they depend on superstitions or other errors (cf. 1Cor 10:20-21), constitute an obstacle to
salvation.” (DI 21)
Therefore it is necessary today that this part of the NA declaration be correctly clarified in the spirit of
the Council and Tradition.
Abuse of “sincere reverence” for other religions and its boundaries:
Concerning sincere reverence, by highlighting it one has given rise to admiration, fascination and loss
of one’s own identity. Thus, unfortunately, the word “reverence” has been abused! In the same way one has
abused the expression “ray of truth”. This ray has turned into a big light, but a false one which has seduced
millions of souls from the Church into perdition. If we have opened up to it so uncritically, first we are now
to repent in truth of having betrayed Christ and His Gospel. Then we are to receive again the living Christ
and to give Him all our life.
Only when we turn away from foreign gods and idolatry, which we let into the heart of the Church, we
will be able to pick out those small fragments of truth. But this may be done by those only who are able to
discern what is the truth and what is a heresy, not by theologians with the spirit of the world who have
abandoned the Holy Spirit.
“We should by all means avoid the romanticizing of the animist religions. Conciliatoriness and
innocence of paganism rank among the many myths of our days…” (J. Ratzinger: An Exclusive Interview On the
State of the Church, 1984)
The fruit of false reverence:
Page 1 of 2 – Prohibition of syncretism
On May 5, 2004, a pagan hindu ritual was held at Fatima with an approval of the Bishop of Fatima and
Rector Guerra. Guerra defends himself by “sincere reverence” for pagan religions.
A missionary congregation of Xavierians in Italy: Xavierians brought buddhist monks from Tibet to
Italy. Here they established about eight centres where they are carrying out retreats for all age categories,
but especially for youth.
Deterrent examples are monasteries which have turned into centres of New Age, such as Benedictine
ashrams or a Jesuit centre of zen meditation in Sardinia.
Syncretism of the Focolare movement: The spirit which is behind the Focolare is not the spirit of truth
and repentance, so it is not the Spirit of God. Here we have to do with a covert and false system and spirit of
New Age inside the Catholic Church.
The Focolare journal New City 10/2002 states: “14th June. In the entrance hall of the Mariapoli Centre
there is an unusual notice hanging: Bhakti, way of love. Unity with God and universal brotherhood of
Hinduism and Christianity!” Another article mentions that Chiara received several doctorates of honour
from hindus and buddhists and on that occasion spoke about so-called unity. This causes doctrinal confusion
and eliminates unambiguousness in the fundamental truths of the faith!
Cardinal J. Tomko, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, said about
India that it is the “epicentre” of theological tendencies which radically undermine the basic Christian
mission and all missionary effort. He sees one of the main causes of the growth of sects in India and all Asia
in the doctrinal confusion within the Catholic Church which eliminates explicit preaching of Jesus Christ.
(L’Osservatore Romano, 15th April 1991)
Conclusion
Your Holiness, the greatest need of this time is the reform of the Church.
In the authority of the visible Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, by virtue of obedience connected with
sanctions, prohibit false openness to paganism.
This false attitude liquidates our own identity and true mission. Without this step the true reform of the
Church is impossible.
Standing Synod of the UGCC
+ Samuel
+ Markian OSBM
+ Metoděj OSBM
+ Eliáš OSBM
Pidhirtsi, 25th January 2009
Copies:
- Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church
- Patriarchs and Bishops of the Orthodox Churches
Address: Pidhirtsi 19, Brody dist., Lvov reg., 80660, Ukraine
www.community.org.ua; new e-mail address: pidhirci. community@gmail.com
Page 2 of 2 – Prohibition of syncretism